ReMix:Final Fantasy XII "The Drum of Basswall" 5:24

Newcomer Midioker writes:

"Deep, minimal drum & bass style remix. Created with Ableton Live, VSTi's & effects."

Concise & direct, to be sure! Our first FF12 mix of the year (and only our third overall) is an atmospheric, percussive affair. Deia sums things up well:

"I went into this being worried that because it was a percussion-heavy source that it was going to be difficult to figure out and that I'd be spending a long time working out bits of source here and there in a non-melodic setting. I was pleasantly surprised to find that a lot of this is pretty clear on the source usage even for someone who isn't very familiar with the tune.

There are a lot of elements that are used intermittently, dropping out and coming back, that lend a lot of familiarity with the piece. Each idea is well-presented, and when it returns it helps set up a solid foundation within the source and for the flow of the mix itself. The arrangement is very creative considering how constrictive a source that is all percussion can be. Given that the setup of the piece lends itself to a sparser texture, you've done well to keep things busy and the soundscape pretty full. There weren't really any times when I felt things were too empty and lacking direction. Production is clear, and the sounds are all solid."

Vinnie adds:

"Very impressed with how interesting this stayed with so little melodic content and a pretty static drumloop. This is made off the back of your attention to detail. In fact I barely noticed that it was more than 5 minutes. Like Deia, I thought this might be hard to evaluate but there's a few very recognizable snippets/rhythms from the source that anchor your arrangement, which actually made it pretty easy to judge. This is very different from most subs we get - the only thing off the top of my head to compare it to is DrumUltima's Chrono Trigger ReMix - and I'm happy that we get to pass something this unique."

So an opera mix followed by another rare percussive mix - interesting start to the week!! Midioker is anything but, as his debut shows a lot of intricacy in its treatment of a tricky, skeletal source. Definitely a peculiar-but-enjoyable debut that leaves me very curious to hear a follow-up!